Spritsail

As spritsail square sails of a ship or boat are referred to, which are diagonally splayed by a spar, a round timber, from the ship's mast.

Description

Like all struggling in the longitudinal direction of the ship sailing spritsail belong to the Schratsegeln. The rod to which they are clamped, ie Spriet, whose uprising tail Piek. The four edges ( leeches ) of the sail are named top, aft, lower and Luff, the corners hot head, neck, clew and Spriethorn or Piek.

A special form of Sprietsegels is the Spreizgaffelsegel on Spreizgaffelketschen and Spreizgaffelschonern. It is struck on an Spreizgaffel which is guided between two masts. The Spreizbesegelung is also common in the South Pacific and is held there by means of curved gaffs.

History

The spritsail is the oldest in the fore- sail boat ride. It can be detected on smaller BC Hellenistic vessels focusing in the North Aegean since the 2nd century; in the imperial period ranged its western distribution area until at least Rome. The grave reliefs of ancient mariners show coastal vessels, port and tug boats with a far forward in the bow erected mast to which the plane spanned by the diagonal spar rectangular canvas is quite loosely attached.

Modern types of ships on which spritsail found using, were among many fishing boats, the sea-going Quasen and the Boii. Use is the spritsail also widespread in southern Sweden Blekingebooten. Even smaller labor and transport vessels on inland waters such as the Steinhuder Torfkahn, had a Spriettakelung in which the spritsail represents the main or mainsail.

The spritsail was and is used in various parts of the world. In Western countries, it is found nowadays even on smaller dinghies and sports dinghies, especially the Optimist ( Opti ), use. The case with the optimistic in the tension on the sail is set, is Sprietfall.